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The 49ers despite a bad loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 9 didn’t fall far in the NFL Wire power rankings. San Francisco dropped just one spot to No. 17 in part because they’re simply not worse than a slew of teams behind them.
While it’s been a disappointing 4-5 start through nine weeks for the 49ers where injuries have derailed their hopes of defending their NFC championship, they’re still talented enough to wade among the NFL’s middling teams even with so many notable starters on Injured Reserve.
Assuming they don’t have a miracle playoff run in them, this iteration of the 49ers likely won’t make its way into the top half of the power rankings again. They’ll certainly have opportunities with games coming up against the Saints, Bills and Rams – all teams in the top 11 and two in the top 10 – but their injury issues make it difficult to see them knocking those teams of.
The question now is what their situation looks like in the future and how quickly they can find themselves in the top five like they did for much of last season.
For the NFL Wire’s Mark Schofield, the answer lies in the quarterback position:
Garoppolo’s shaky season – and really his play dating back to their playoff run last season – has many wondering if he is indeed the long-term answer for the organization. Now the economics might make it difficult, but Shanahan does have a decision to make. This is something I discussed with Doug Farrar on the Week 9 Matchup Podcast, and San Francisco needs to start there as they shift focus to the future.
The 49ers are still too far into the thick of the playoff hunt to think about who their next quarterback will be, but it’s the biggest question worth asking about this team coming out of Week 9.
If they beat the Saints, the conversation may be different, but for now the key questions about San Francisco all lie in the franchise’s future.